100 Greatest Comic Book Films Of All Time

Joss Whedon’s awe inspiring The Avengers blasted its way onto cinema screens with the impact of a Hulk punch in April and has to date raked in $1.4 BILLION worldwide, making it the third biggest movie of all time. Perhaps it may prove to be the pinnacle of the genre, the first time we had experienced a multi-cross over comic book film universe and things will never get this good again.

But the comic book genre has not always been as good as this. Usually your favourite comic is butchered and changed beyond all recognition making you curse the very day you heard it had been sold to Hollywood for a ridiculous sum of money. Therefore it was with some apprehension that we at What Culture sat down and complied this list for you – the top 100 comic book adaptations ever.

Sure it was easy enough to name all the recent box office smashes but in order to create such a comprehensive list we had to sit through some of the worst titles too. So spare a thought for our fragile minds as we present you with our findings. And why not have your say at the end? Have we missed your favourite movie? Do you disagree with our top choice? Should Batman and Robin be in the top 5? We always love to hear what you think about our features so sound off below.

It begins below….

Click “next” to start your journey through the 100 Greatest Comic Book Films Of All Time…

I dont want to be a cyber bastard and slate your choices, because this is an epic list and as a fellow whatculturenarian i know this must have taken ages to write. So instead i will say, well done Matt

Great list. I’m sorry to do this as I frickin hate it when all someone can say is what they think you missed. And i’l be honest, there was a lot on here I didn’t know was a comic adap or wouldn’t have thought of so good work there! However, I think The Shadow should have made the lower ranks somewhere as it is an ok film.

I also can’t agree with Avengers being No.1. Still, great list man, everything you said about each film was spot on too. Aside from your lack of bat-nipple knowledge of course…….you fool you.

Great list. And again there were a few I didn’t know we’re comic book adaptations. I was surprised to put Superman 4 above Superman 3, but Im well aware that I’m one of the few who don’t mind the third film. Also I would have put Watchmen as No.1. Still, intresting read.

Thank you for compiling this list of comic-book films but, I’m sorry, this list should have been titled “100 Most-Liked-by-a-Fanboy Comic Book Films of All Time”. If my most salient criteria for what makes a great comic book film was how closely it mirrors the comic, it’d be better to just read the comic book.

Thanks for compiling this comic-book film list (i agree with everyone else that this must have been a lot of work) but, I’m sorry, this should have been titled “100 Most-Liked-by-Fanboys Comic Book Films.” If the most salient criteria for what makes a great comic book film how closely it mirrors the comic, it’d be better to just read the comic book.

The Dark Knight scores 94% percent in Rotten Tomatoes and The Avengers scores 93%. So I do not think The Avengers always have to stay behind The Dark Knight in every list. There are some lists that The Avengers is higher than TDK, and vice versa.

the problem i have with rottentomatoes is that it scores film reviews in only two options (rotten/fresh) and there is no gradation in between. certainly an ok film is not a great film and RT doesn’t account for that (that’s why it would essentially look like the same score).

imdb is alright with it’s 10 point scale (especially for its unparalleled archive of info) but you have to ignore the score for a couple months after a film is out because all the fanboys rate it so high at first. but after time the sheer amount of votes helps the scores to even out a bit (for example on the IMDb 250 TDK is ranked #8, whereas The Avengers is ranked #42).

i’ve come to use metacritic as a more accurate film review aggregate (even though they definitely don’t have the same breadth as the former two sites) because their scoring system is on a scale of 1 to 100 as well as putting together only the more reputable film critics (for example TDK gets a score of 82 whereas The Avengers gets a score of 69, which would be B as opposed to a D+ which is a more considerable difference in my opinion).

Yes. Yes it is. Thing HAPPEN in the Avengers movie, while The Dark Knight had six endings, Bale being rubbish and notoriety almost solely from Heath Ledger’s death. It’s not actually all that great. The Avengers is everything a comic book film should be.

Also, Captain America, the worst comic book film ever made (because its badness isn’t funny like it is with Joel Schumacher films) ahead of x men first class? This is the wrongest thing I’ve ever seen. So. So. So wrong.

Truly epic article Matt, kudos for the time and effort you must have put in to it. Naturally no-one in the world is going to agree 100% of your choices, for those people who choose to moan about this I simply say thats what life is about douchewads!

Anyway, great list, for me I’d have had V for Vendetta nearer the top and Captain America nearer the middle. Also in the Dark Knight v Avengers debate I would go for the caped crusader anyday of the week!

Great read anyway man, really enjoyed it and your reasons for choices are well thought out, I respect that.

When you write an article like this, it’s going to attract debate. Not everyone is going to agree but that is what makes it intresting. If people don’t agree, I’m sure it doesn’t mean they don’t respect the effort that has gone into writing the article. But calling them douchewads is unnecessary.

And by the moaners, i don’t mean general disagreement I support and encourage respectful debate…i mean the people who go out of their way to insult someones writing when they express an opinion different to their own. I’m not saying anyone who has commented here fall into that category, far from it. I think you misunderstood me entirely.

All I’ll say guys is that in an area such as comic books and movies where fans are so passionate about there personal favourites I was never going to please everyone – hell, I agonised over the order almost daily but had to just make a decision one way or another.

The fun for me is watching the debates because I know I’d have something to say about it if I were a reader.

for me the dark knight is by far the greatest comic book film ever made. avengers is at best on the same level as the first spiderman, its just another pop corn flick with the added attraction of being able to watch all your favourite comic book characters in one film. also how is the first xmen nd sin city not in the top ten, xmen was the film that started the trend of intelligent character driven serious comic book films, it deserves a higher place.

Interesting read on the whole comic book genre.. I just noticed the omission of the ill-fated Superman 2 (unless I missed it) But then again I don’t think the theatrical version should be included on this list..

Basically I was 8 when S2 was in canadian cinemas and at that time I never knew the nightmare it became.. Now I do love what the Donner cut gave us but it still isn’t a complete movie (just what we really should have gotten in the first place) But for the rest of the list I for the most part agree with the rankings even though I would have rated Superman 1 higher (we would have gotten the big epic films without it.. sue me I’m a fan-boy)

As for The Avengers being #1 I’d have to agree with it even though The Dark Knight will always appeal to my darker tastes in movies.. But The Avengers does do everything exceptionally well.. Eagerly awaiting Amazing Spiderman and TDKR

All kidding aside I’ll go ahead and give my 2 cents on what is surely the biggest debate on this list…

The Avengers is a great comic movie… The Dark Knight is an amazing film.

I left the theatre after seeing the Avengers and was entertained. I couldn’t shut up about the Dark Knight. The script was better, the cinematography was better, the acting was better. The Avengers might have been more of a spectacle which is great for comics but the Dark Knight was HANDS DOWN the greater film.

Perhaps you should have waited a month so you could put TDKR at #1. Also, Amazing Spider-Man would have been nice to wait for as well. Surely it will be worthy of making the list.

Im pretty surprised to see The Avengers above The Dark Knight. Maybe the hype and excitement are still fresh in your mind, because I cant understand why anyone would do such a crazy thing. Once you get over the ‘wow factor’ of having all those legendary characters (and actors) in the same movie it’s pretty mediocre and underwhelming. I would have put Avengers somewhere between 15 and 20, but hey it’s not my list. Well done overall though.

Loads I disagree with on the list, but that’s the point isn’t it? Like that because of the limited number of them, the list ends up being a worst of and best of. My instant reaction was that the avengers should never have been umber one, but then realised I absolutely loved that movie, so can’t complain too much. Great list, great website.

Thank you for this list!! I’m still a beginner in the comics (although we have the biggest comic fair of Germany here in town) but a real movie cultist. For me: Watchmen – even one of best MOVIES of all times, but I understand your opinion :-). But never I will understand why Thor is so much ahead. But the Christian-Bale-Batmans – yeah, baby! and of course “Avengers” – the highlight this year in the theatres.
Greets
assangista

How anyone can say this is a good list is beyond me, it’s horrendous, and the Marvel bias is quite shocking. I wasn’t taking the list seriously when Catwoman made it onto the list. Straight away that completely destroys any shred of credibility to the list. It matters not that you slated it, it is no longer a 100 greatest movie list. You completely lost me when you placed V For Vendetta so low on the list though. Shocking.

While reading this article I began thinking about the response I would find at the end. I expected complaints about missing films and bluster about the position of one’s favorite movies on the list (especially regarding spots 1-4). Now that I’ve read them all I see exactly what I expected.
For my own comment I would say the list and its individual film summaries are brilliant. Well done.
Of course I have differing opinions but I’m not the author who put in all the work and boldly posted the article for all of us to enjoy.

It was a fun read, and obviously it’s all just opinion and personal preference, but for me the list fell apart at times, especially the end. That’s my opinion anyways. Here’s my personal disagreements:

Batman 89′ (Thought it would be in the top 25 at least, as most people debate wether this or The Dark Knight was a better Bat film))

Spiderman 1 & 2 (These should be placed better than Cap and Thor)

Thor (This movie was the worst of the lead ups to the Avengers imo. Character development was awful with Thor himself as he is arrogant and unappreciative at the start and seemingly for no reason turns into someone so noble and greatful at the end, it really was Loki’s movie more than anything, should be more in the 20’s-30’s. Either way, it definitely shouldn’t be placed better than Captain America, Batman 89′, X-men First Class etc. I usually enjoy all these movies, but Thor was so bland and boring in comparison.)

X-men First Class (Still one of the best Marvel films if you ask me, just below Avengers and right on par with Iron Man)

Batman Returns (This should have been in the lower 30’s)

Spiderman 3 (Even though this was crapped on by most fans, the actual fun factor and quality is still better than many films it was outplaced by, and imo should have been in the lower 30’s)

Iron Man 2 (I honestly didn’t enjoy the 2nd one nearly as much as the first, or even as much as most of the other movies in the top 30-40. It just felt like more of the same, nothing new or original brought to the table. No new story told. Just more Robert Downey quips and action, which is awesome, but it lacked the great story and feeling of the 1st that made it such a surprise hit. This should be put back about 10 spots if you ask me, even Hulk(2008) should be in a better spot than this)

The Dark Knight vs. Avengers (Obviously this could go either way depending what kind of movie you like more be it comedic and light hearted vs. serious and dramatic. However, when it comes to quality and storytelling TDK should win hands down. The Avengers is great because it can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone for its light hearted tone and just a fun thing to watch, but TDK is more grounded and taps into your emotions. You care about the characters and they really effect you. You go from loving the Joker, to fearing him during the self shot camera torture scene, it taps into your emotions so much more. Whereas in Avengers the biggest emotional moment of a certain characters death is immediately followed up with a comedic line to ease the tension. It also is much more of a cinematic masterpiece. Avengers relies much more on CGI for 75% of it’s scenes and action, whereas Nolan tries to use real settings and locations, as well as little effects for most of his shots, fights, and explosions etc. and not so much CGI reliant. All of this and more make TDK an overall better film.)

Well that’s my opinion on the list anyways. I’m sure it was a huge undertaking and required lots of bouncing around and whatnot, and you can’t please everyone obviously, but still, I felt like some of the movies such as Batman 89′ was way too high, and Thor was way too low. Should have swapped them if anything.

I’m sorry, I love What Culture, but this has to be the worst list I’ve ever seen. The only explanation I have for your abhorrent taste in films is that you haven’t actually seen any of these and have just arbitrarily thrown them in an order.

Wow, I liked your list, until I saw Avengers at number 1. There is obvious bias in your rankings. Avengers shouldn’t be in the top 5. I”m not a huge Batman fan, but Dark Knight is lightyears ahead of Avengers. Dark Knight Rises, I would also put ahead of Avengers. I’ll give Avengers the slight edge over Begins, but only barely (probably because I”m a biased Avengers fan).
I”m a massive Avengers fan, but as soon as I saw that you put it number one, over Dark Knight, you immediately lost all credibility. I’m ashamed. I can admit when DC makes a better movie.

This list is a great compilation of comic book films, unfortunately it entirely fails at ranking them in any credible or logical way. I realize that sites like rotten tomatoes, imdb and metacritic are by no means perfect, but by using at least some metrics to quantify how good or bad a film is they provide a level of objectivity. To that end, when movie A scores notably (let’s say at around 10 point or more) higher than movie B, it can be reasonably assumed A is better than B. Closer ratings are up for debate, and I’ll ignore those for the most part.

The first movie which seemed truly out of place was V for Vendetta at 57. This may not be a GREAT film, but it is certainly better than most of the movies in the next 20 spots. With a modest 73% on rotten tomatoes, and a strong 8.2 on imdb, V towers over most of those films, most of which aren’t higher than a 60%. I could certainly nitpick a few more selections, but the real problems begin around the top 30.

30 days of night (30), Azumi (29), Blade (28), 300 (26), Ichi the Killer (24), TMNT (23), and Watchmen (16) are all ranked too high. These movies rate from mediocre to objectively bad. They are rated 51%, 47%, 55%, 60%, 63%, 44%, and 64% on rotten tomatoes, respectively. Most of these should not have made the top 30, except for perhaps watchmen, which still should not have made the top 20. The absurdity of these rankings is only highlighted by the fact that right before you hit the top 30, you are presented with a slew of quality films from 36 to 30.

A History of Violence , Men in Black , X-Men 2, Tintin , Hellboy 2, and Hellboy are ranked 36 to 30, and on rotten tomatoes they are rated 87%, 90%, 88%, 75%, 86%, and 81%, respectively. Leaving aside how you’ve ranked these amongst one another, they are all EASILY better than the 7 movies I previously pointed out in the top 30. In fact, leaving aside Tintin and maybe Hellboy, the rest are also markedly better than Iron Man 2 (21), Kick Ass (13), and Sin City (12), which scored 75%-78%. Taking all of these numbers into account, it seems like you completely botched your rankings from between 36 and 12. This entire area ruins the credibility of your list as an authority on comic book films.

Lastly, the choice to rank The Avengers above The Dark Knight represents yet another example of the greatest failing of internet lists: Putting the obvious best choice at number 2 and something almost as good at number 1 for the sake of being provocative and adding a twist. The Avengers is simply not as good as The Dark Knight. While the rotten tomatoes scores – 92% for Avengers and 94% for Dark Knight – are close enough to be debatable or within a margin for error, things fall apart quickly when you use other sites. On metacritic, The Dark Knight gets an 82, while The Avengers gets a 69. The Dark Knight is a 9 on imdb, while the Avengers is an 8.4, and the imdb top 250 has The Dark Knight as it’s 8th greatest film while the Avengers is 121st. While the imdb top 250 is far too slanted toward recent films to be a true measure of the greatest films of all time, it does display just how much better The Dark Knight is.

I applaud the work you put into this, and this being the internet I want to give my two cents. Whoever doens’t think Avengers is the best COMIC BOOK movie needs to think about the fact that it is the most true to the medium. I mean, Dark Knight and all that is great, but think about when you read a traditional comic book and tell me Avengers isn’t the closest. Grand-scale battles, heroes and vilians that are larger than life, great effects, flawed personalities. This thing had the helicarrier, man. It had the Kree. It gave room for all the characters to show their stuff. Dark Knight was an epic film, but Avengers was a best comic book movie. I’m not sure my point is getting across, but there you have it. It’s kind of why I like Batman Forever more than the previous two that Burton did. It felt like something out of a comic, and he actually fought a bunch of henchmen hand-to-hand…

Omitting Superman 2 is odd, but I guess you just forgot. Easily at top 10 film there. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD. I can’t even look at Terrance Stamp without thinking of that character.

Great list and it’s great that people have such high opinions. Keep it up.